The Madness At Inn!

Recent news reports indicate that the new vice-chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka has forcefully ejected postgraduate students of the institution from their hostels.

It was a gory sight to see dishevelled students...male and female...huddle to sleep on bare floors or clean up and cook in the open on the grounds surrounding the hostel premises!

It is no less objectionable than it is insane for PG students to be so manhandled and ingloriously thrown out of their hostels for staging a peaceful protest!

Accounts by the students....corroborated by the VC....indicate that their school fees were increased from N69,000 to amounts in excess of N145,000 as soon as this new VC assumed office!

This VC even went ahead to "explain" that the hostels needed to be so cleared so that new graduands would have places to lay their heads preparatory to the next convocation ceremony!

Call this a welcome gift by the new helmsman and you would not be wrong!

Call it drunkeness with power by a man who is too ready to bully weaker vessels and you would not be wrong either!

I have had causes to write about the impunity of government officials in this nation. This VC was appointed by the visitor to the university...this being the sitting president of Nigeria so eager to be re-elected in the next polls! The actions of this VC cannot endear the ruling party to students, parents and well-meaning and right-thinking Nigerians.

These citizens constitute the voters in the next elections and normally, should determine if our current president is fit and proper to rule us for four more years. So, why this "I don't care attitude" from an appointee of the federal government if truly, our votes count in elections? Or could it be that this VC is out to deliberately sabotage the image and efforts of Mr President and the ruling party?

The university community is a microcosm and the VC was so eager to "weild his power" as soon as he gained office!

The students should even count themselves lucky not to have been irreparably maimed or killed by security men on the orders of their irate vice chancellor!

From the general mien and body language of this VC on TV, we are dealing with a man endowed with neither common sense nor shame!

I recently wrote about a professor of medicine who placed partisan politics over and above human lives. This is yet another professor who does not give a damn about dangers posed to his students as they are rabidly exposed to harsh weather conditions...while sleeping in the open....

Dr Tosin Akindele is medical practitioner and public affairs analyst.